VARIETY - PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST GETS BACK INTO GEAR

Indeed, the idea that a successful short film is merely an entry ticket to feature filmmaking opportunities appears to be on the wane. Filmmaker Varun Chopra has shown his shorts at festivals from San Sebastian to Oaxaca, and comes to ShortFest with “Holy Cowboys,” a strikingly intimate documentary about India’s “cow vigilantes,” groups of Hindus who rescue the sacred animals from mistreatment, and which have lately become incubators of right-wing anti-Muslim sentiment. The 24-minute doc was born during the research process for a feature Chopra is developing, when he realized his unusual access to this world offered the opportunity for a standalone short.

“I feel perhaps [the short film] has become more than just a calling card for a filmmaker,” he says. “There are ample avenues [for exposure], and there is a certain degree of amplification, so that you won’t find your film just sitting there on Vimeo collecting dust.”